Talk:1968 Tunnel Rats

M16 Three prong flash hiders

check out this rifle, isn't it an AP74?

Anyone else notice that these three pronged flash hiders look weird? They sweep down at TOO sharp of an angle. That is why I thought they were Adler-Jager AP-74 rifles previously. Or possibly the South African Armorers just took the flash hiders off of the AP-74 rifles and retapped them to mount on the M16 Rifles. MoviePropMaster2008 20:08, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

Lame uniforms and gear

What makes me ticked off, is that I could have outfitted this entire movie ACCURATELY with what I have in my closet! Arghhhhh. I am also a collector of Vietnam era militaria (US and Enemy forces). MoviePropMaster2008 04:29, 20 April 2009 (UTC)

well, if you ever work on a uwe boll film you can abuse him after your done....for the rest of us as well scarecrow 11:08, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

Boring as hell

That is probably the only thing I can say about this movie. Just... What was the story? Was there one? I couldn't guess it, I saw it 3 times! -protoAuthor

That's the bad thing about Vietnam War movies. We still didn't have a Band of Brothers or Saving Private Ryan of the Vietnam War. We really need it. None of that Platoon, Casualties of War Anti-war bullshit. I want one like Band of Brothers were they just show US Grunts living through out 1968 in the middle of the Vietnam War without any political shit. Just show me a accurate depiction of the US Involvement of the Vietnam War, Dammit!-Oliveira 17:39, 20 July 2009 (UTC)

Hamburger Hill and We Were Soldiers are good. They're anti-war, but they show soldiers who are brave, tough, dedicated to the job and to each other. If you haven't already, watch them.-Crackshot 20:30, 9 January 2011 (UTC)

I have seen the above movies, but I haven't seen Hamburger Hill in nearly 20 years. The closest you will get to Band Of Brothers or The Pacific in Vietnam would be the TV series Tour Of Duty. The only really notable politics on the war was an episode where some of the unit went to Hawaii on R&R and they were abused by the citizens. An interesting perspective from a taxi driver who drove the men around, who was of Japanese descent and was interned in WW2, forces them to wonder what they are fighting for. Wraith

Am I the only person on this site who doesn't believe that being pro-war and pro-military are the same thing? A film doesn't have to endorse war as something that's "cool" in order to reflect military personnel in a positive light. The above mentioned We Were Soldiers is a prime example of this. Spartan198 04:49, 13 April 2012 (CDT)

We Were Soldiers is shameless, filling the screen with square-jawed officers who weep at carnage and fresh-faced GIs who use their last breaths to intone things like, "I'm glad I died for my country." --Masterius 07:56, 13 April 2012 (CDT)

(regarding the critique of WE were Soldiers) Not a challenge here, but How old are you Masterius? Have you served in uniform? Are you an American? Since none of this information can be gleaned from your user page, I was just curious. People with different ages & backgrounds have different reactions to things in films. Not saying your post was wrong, but I think you missed the point of the Lt. saying "I'm glad I died for my country" since it was HIS mistake that led to his demise (leading his men into an ill conceived chase of a single lookout into an ambush). It showed that he was loyal and had good motivations, but he wasn't that good of an officer (something hinted at earlier in the film during training). Thus his final words were sad irony. Regarding similar cinema, I usually find myself arguing with young, hip, Europeans on other movie boards about these elements in American cinema, primarily because they do not interpret such scenes the same as someone with my background would. I do agree that director Randall Wallace is really schmaltzy and really goes over the top in sappy sentimentalism. He would have really been better served if he had dialed it back a bit. At any rate, I usually understand different perceptions about films (especially so called patriotic films) if I know the background of the viewer. Even people who share the North American continent and English language, like Canadians, don't have that deep understanding of why Americans react the way they do (generally speaking) :) best regards MoviePropMaster2008 14:22, 13 April 2012 (CDT)

Haven't served myself (although have basic military training from local military base) but I heard stories from Afghan war veterans. These are kind of wars that are pointless and unneeded. Governments pursuing their shady political agenda, throwing young men into the meat grinder far away from their homes. Are they fighting for their country? What did Vietnam have to do with USA, like what did Afghanistan have to do with Soviet Union? Was there any threat, like with Nazism in WW2? The answer would be 'No'. And then those who survived returned home, tried to forget their experience but couldn't because of posttraumatic stress disorder. Being patriotic is not bad at all, but there are cases where patriotism overdose is out of place, as even Americans themselves protested Vietnam War and called for it to end. My two cents. --Masterius 16:27, 13 April 2012 (CDT)

P.S. Not American, in My Location is my Nationality.

First of all, may I say Hello My Kazakhstani friend, and may I also say .... "NICE...." :) Well, your confusion is common amongst non Americans (and some Americans but most Americans understand the mentality). They have hard times understanding how Americans view our military and patriotism in general. I find that most Europeans find "patriotism" an alien mindset. The only people whom I actually saw openly acting patriotic were the UK (and other former Commonwealth countries). Perhaps it is an offshoot of being a former British Colony. ;) Anyway, South Vietnam was an ALLY of the U.S. in the Cold War. Sure they were a corrupt regime, but we were protecting a country that was recognized as a sovereign nation by the U.N. from attacks from North Vietnam and their proxies (the VC). the point of the Vietnam Conflict was to stop the 'domino' effect of communism sweeping Asia. Recently historians have reassessed the Vietnam conflict and though it was a tragic conflict with much loss of life, it DID give all the surrounding SE Asian countries time to create their own governments, free of influence from the Kremlin. America pretty much beat communism by facing up to it whereever it popped up and (the most important part) outspent the opposition. The Russo-Afghan war WAS different in that other than propping up a puppet regime friendly to the Kremlin, no one was ever sure why the Soviets committed to that war. Perhaps they really wanted more military bases to counter the TONS of American ones in the region, but ultimately that's a big 'so what'? And I am digressing here so I will go back to what I was doing, i.e. prepping for work. :) Thanks for the contribution. MoviePropMaster2008 00:25, 14 April 2012 (CDT)

Just my observation. I am an American. I served in the U.S. Army for fourteen years (1986-2000). The way that the soldiers and officers are presented in We Were Soldiers is how many soldiers and officers see themselves and their duty. Yes it is somewhat cornball, but there are many who believe in that corny worldview. It's powerful and patriotism is a major player for those folks. As I got older I found it harder and harder to subscribe to that viewpoint. No I have not become anti-American or a raging Communist. I'm an American and I like my country, but I choose to go in a different direction. Guess I wasn't cut out to be the Square-Jawed All-American Hero Type. Nevertheless those men and women do something that many don't. I don't hold them in low regard and I would never ridicule them. I don't have any use for those who do. --Jcordell 03:10, 14 April 2012 (CDT)

Born on the Fourth of July tells a story of such a patriotic, All-American young man who fought in Vietnam War and what impact the war had on him. --Masterius 09:02, 14 April 2012 (CDT)

Could we keep this somewhere close to being about the movie, please? This is wandering into the kind of thing that should be on the forums rather than a talk page. Evil Tim 09:32, 14 April 2012 (CDT)

DVD cover

I was at the rentals the other day and I saw this DVD on the racks. I picked it up, noticed the soldier on the cover was holding an M4A1 CARBINE and then my fingers started to burn from holding the case too long so I put it down. Really dumb error there I gotta say. - Gunmaster45

If you look on the main page, the name UWE BOLL says it all. Wraith

Besides Rampage, which was alright, anything with those two deadly words on the cover is pretty much destined to be junk. I made the mistake of watching the Dungeon Siege movie he did, because it had Jason Statham in it. Guess what, nothing can save a crappy Boll film, nothing on this planet. M14Fanboy (Can't log in for some reason though)

agreed as soon a you see uwe boll, just completely erase any thought of it being remotely goodscarecrow 04:15, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

This movie was shot and filmed in SOUTH AFRICA

That's why the American GREEN uniforms look so wrong. They're the same 'green uniforms' that the Cubans and Russians wore in Red Scorpion hahahahaha!. Everything is wrong about this movie MoviePropMaster2008

Everything is wrong about Uwe Boll. Where did this guy come from?--Jcordell 21:44, 11 April 2012 (CDT)

Germany. I wish we can say he was the product of a Nazi eugenics program to breed the world's worst director, but it's more likely that he's just a hack. --Funkychinaman 22:24, 11 April 2012 (CDT)

Actually I knew that (rhetorical question), but I like the Nazi eugenics angle. Didn't think of that and it explains so much.LOL--Jcordell 11:45, 12 April 2012 (CDT)

Release Date (moved from main page)

Originally titled Tunnel Rats, the film was screened at film festivals in Canada and Germany and had a limited theatrical run in Los Angeles at the Downtown Independent Theater on December 20th, 2008. The 'official' release date for the film in the U.S. was supposed to be March 13th, 2009, however that release date got pushed back, despite being released elsewhere in the world on DVD. The U.S. DVD was released on Jun 30, 2009.